Current:Home > StocksStamp prices increase again this weekend. How much will Forever first-class cost? -Wealth Harmony Labs
Stamp prices increase again this weekend. How much will Forever first-class cost?
View
Date:2025-04-14 10:36:39
Postal rates, including the price of Forever stamps, are going up again.
Forever stamps get a 5-cent increase from 68 cents to 73 cents when the price increase goes into effect on Sunday.
When Forever stamps were introduced in 2007, they cost 41 cents each. That's a 78% increase in 17 years.
The U.S. Postal Service called them "Forever" stamps so consumers knew whenever they bought them, the stamp would be good for sending mail. That means any stamps you have now that you bought for 68 cents or cheaper can still be used even after the price increase.
Here's what else you need to know:
Why does the Postal Service keep raising price of Forever stamps?
The most recent price changes were proposed by the Postal Service in April and approved by its board of governors in November.
Aggressive price increases have been part of the Postal Service's 10-year Delivering for America plan, enacted in 2021 by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
"You understand the Postal Service had been in a financial death spiral for the 14 years prior to my arrival in June of 2020 and had no plan to curtail these losses, and therefore no plan to become fiscally self-sufficient," he told a U.S. Senate committee in April 2024.
Despite some cited improvements at the Postal Service, many senators decried how its plan has led to delays in their constituents' mail. The Postal Service, which had forecast a $1.7 billion surplus in 2024 in the Delivering for America plan, is expected to lose more than $8 billion in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, and has asked the White House for an additional $14 billion, The Washington Post reported.
Upping the price of Forever stamps and other mail services won't solve the agency's financial challenges, Postal Service spokesman David Coleman told USA TODAY. A big problem is that domestic first-class mail has declined by 52% compared to 2007, he said.
"The Postal Service is one of the most efficient postal administrations in the world, but volume … is expected to continue to decline as a result of diversion to digital communications and the increase in online transactions," Coleman said.
Can I still use Forever stamps?
Yes, you can still use any Forever stamp. Any Forever stamp covers the cost of first-ounce postage even if the price of a stamp changes, Coleman said.
You can also still use stamps that are not Forever stamps, but you will need to add enough postage to total 73 cents when mailing a First-Class Mail letter weighing 1 ounce.
Forever stamps: Tracking price increases over the years
If it seems as if Forever stamps have been increasing forever, well, they have been rising a lot in recent years. Here are the increases since the stamps were priced at 55 cents on Jan. 27, 2019:
◾ Aug. 29, 2021 - 58 cents
◾ July 10, 2022 - 60 cents
◾ Jan. 22, 2023 - 63 cents
◾ July 9, 2023 - 66 cents
◾ Jan. 21, 2024 - 68 cents
◾ July 14, 2024 - 73 cents
What other mail prices are going up?
Other services will see an increase, too, including Priority Mail (5%). Here are some other price increases that took effect on Jan. 21:
Product | Prices before July 14 | New Prices |
Letters (1 oz.) | 68 cents | 73 cents |
Letters (metered 1 oz.) | 64 cents | 69 cents |
Domestic Postcards | 53 cents | 56 cents |
International Postcards | $1.55 | $1.65 |
International Letter (1 oz.) | $1.55 | $1.65 |
Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.
What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day
veryGood! (718)
Related
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Kilauea, Hawaii’s second-largest volcano, is erupting again
- Cucumbers in 14 states recalled over potential salmonella contamination
- Memorial for Baltimore bridge collapse victims vandalized
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Rodeo Star Spencer Wright's 3-Year-Old Son Levi Dies After Toy Tractor Accident
- 74-year-old Nebraska woman pronounced dead, found to be alive, breathing at funeral home
- New Orleans valedictorian lived in a homeless shelter as he rose to the top of his class
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- Prosecutors ask judge to deny George Santos’ bid to have some fraud charges dropped
Ranking
- The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
- Why Miley Cyrus Can't Stop Working Out In Heels
- Map shows states affected by recalled cucumbers potentially contaminated with salmonella
- Old Navy’s Most Popular Items Are on Sale – Tennis Skorts, Mom Jeans & More, Starting at $7
- The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
- How Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are Raising Daughter Lili Diana Out of the Spotlight
- Michael Doulas visits Israel to show solidarity as war in Gaza continues
- Giant Food stores in D.C. area ban duffel bags to thwart theft
Recommendation
Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
For gay and transgender people, these are the most (and least) welcoming states
Sally Buzbee, executive editor of The Washington Post, steps down in 'abrupt shake-up'
Search for climbers missing in Canada's Garibaldi Park near Whistler stymied by weather, avalanche threat
US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
Save 75% on Gap, 75% on Yankee Candle, 30% on Too Faced Cosmetics, 60% on J.Crew & Today’s Best Deals
New Mexico primary holds implications for Legislature and prosecutor in Alec Baldwin case
Women’s College World Series Oklahoma vs. Florida: How to watch softball semifinal game